We at The Guidon, your 102-year-old independent student newspaper, know there’s been confusion and questions about why we haven’t resumed publication, even though President John Broadmeadow recently lifted the suspension. To be clear, this drastic and disproportionate punishment against a free, independent student press was not only inappropriate, but unjustified and should never have occurred. Even though the suspension is officially lifted, certain conditions have been imposed that continue to interfere with The Guidon’s editorial independence.
In his Oct. 14 letter to Norwich, President Broadmeadow required The Guidon to submit “a code of ethics grounded in widely established journalism norms be drafted for my approval,” as well as “a method of ethics oversight by the Guidon’s academic advisors.”
We very respectfully decline.
Administrative involvement of any kind, as well as ethics oversight by advisers – or anyone else outside The Guidon student staff, for that matter – clearly violates well-established academic and professional journalism standards, which hold that student journalists alone should determine their work. Additionally, the Department of Global Humanities has formed an external committee that continues to involve itself in our operations, disregarding our repeated requests for full editorial independence.
To be clear, The Guidon will not return to publication until the following conditions are met:
1. Adopt New Voices Protections: The university must implement measures aligned with Vermont’s New Voices law, ensuring the independence of student journalists and protecting our ability to operate without undue influence or censorship.
2. Addressing Reputation Impact: We request a clear explanation from the Provost Dr. Karen Gaines regarding the school’s plan to address and remedy the damage to The Guidon’s reputation, intentional or not, to help restore both the paper’s standing and students’ confidence in its future.
3. Supportive Statement from DGH: We ask that the Department of Global Humanities adopt a formal statement affirming its support for The Guidon’s independence, including protections from any form of external pressures.
4. End External Involvement: We request that any policy requiring The Guidon to submit internal documents for approval be discontinued, and that external influence of any kind cease immediately. This behavior restricts student autonomy and undermines the intellectual freedom essential for an independent press.
We have communicated these requests through various channels but have yet to receive an official response from the president or provost. Nevertheless, it is crucial to keep the lines of communication open, and we hope to meet formally with the administration to discuss these matters further.
We hate that it has come to this point. Over the past year, we have built significant journalistic momentum and are eager to resume serving our campus community. On this day of such national importance with global implications, a day in which Americans cast their votes to exercise their civic duty and Constitutional right, we at The Guidon seek to uphold those very same tenants. We seek nothing more than to protect and maintain the right to a well-informed community through the preservation of a wholly independent student-run news organization. We hope to reach a resolution soon and return to work.
